1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a noise canceling system and a noise canceling method which are applied, for example, to a headphone for allowing a user to enjoy reproduced music or the like and a headset for reducing noise.
2. Description of the Related Art
An active noise reduction system or noise reduction system incorporated in a headphone is available in the past. Noise canceling systems which are placed in practical use at present are all implemented in the form of an analog circuit and are classified into two types including the feedback type and the feedforward type.
A noise reduction apparatus is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 3-214892 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1). In the noise reduction apparatus of Patent Document 1, a microphone unit is provided in an acoustic tube to be attached to an ear of a user. Internal noise of the acoustic tube collected by the microphone unit is inverted in phase and emitted from an earphone set provided in the proximity of the microphone unit thereby to reduce external noise.
A noise reduction headphone is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 3-96199 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 2). In the noise reduction headphone of Patent Document 2, when it is attached to the head of a user, a second microphone is positioned between the headphone and the auditory meatus. An output of the second microphone is used to make the transmission characteristic from a first microphone, which is provided in the proximity of the ear when the headphone is attached to the head of the user and collects external sound, to the headphone same as the transmission characteristic of a path along which the external noise reaches the meatus. The noise reduction headphone thereby reduces external noise irrespective of in what manner the headphone is attached to the head of the user.